Huntingdon-Mifflin-Juniata

Juniata Valley Tri-County MH/MR Program

Dean Skelos' son to get mental health exam while awaiting retrial on corruption charges

The New York Daily News - 1/30/2018

Jan. 30--The son of once-powerful state pol Dean Skelos will have to undergo a mental health evaluation while awaiting retrial on corruption charges alongside his dad, according to a court document.

Adam Skelos, 35, and his dad, a former state Senate majority leader, 69, saw their December 2015 convictions for a shakedown scam tossed by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in September.

Manhattan Federal Judge Kimba Wood scheduled their retrial for June.

In a one-page order filed Monday, Wood wrote, "It is hereby ORDERED that the defendant's bail be modified to include mental health evaluation and treatment as directed by Pretrial Services."

While Wood's order didn't go into detail, Adam Skelos' prior push for a lenient sentence claimed he struggled with anger and substance abuse for much of his life.

"As the trial evidence demonstrated, Adam is a person who has acted at times as his own worst enemy. He has done things that were self-destructive and harmful to those around him, including those closest to him," his former lawyer wrote in March 2016.

Federal prosecutors have alleged that Skelos used his position to get work for his son.

Adam Skelos' current lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.